Clyburn powers Rangers in narrow victory to open regional

Head coach Billy Clyde Gillispie and Ranger College are on to the semifinals of a regional tournament in Brownwood. || Courtesy Ranger College

SPECIAL TO THE FLASH

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BROWNWOOD, Texas – Kris Clyburn was chosen the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference’s top defensive player during the regular season but it was his offensive skills Ranger College enjoyed most on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the Region V Basketball Championships. Clyburn poured in 24 points and helped RC rally for a thrilling 83-79 come-from-behind victory over the Frank Phillips College Plainsmen.

With the win, Ranger College improved to 27-4 for the season and, more importantly, advanced to the semifinal of the national tournament-qualifier on Friday. The Rangers will face either South Plains or Hill College at noon on Friday in the Brownwood Coliseum.

“It was a tough game,” said RC head coach Billy Clyde Gillispie. “They (Frank Phillips) are a good team. I’m proud of the way our team played.”

Frank Phillips, which finished its season at 21-10, didn’t make it easy for RC, which entered the contest ranked No. 10 in the final NJCAA poll. The Plainsmen rallied from a 9-point deficit in the final eight minutes to tie the game at 77-77 with 1:53 left in regulation.

Trey Conrod and Clyburn put down the FPC rally from there. The two combined for four straight free throws in the 39 seconds and put the Rangers up for good, at 82-79, with 10.9 seconds left in regulation. Chase Carlton tacked on another free throw seconds later and all but cinched the Rangers’ first win at the Region V tournament since 2012.

Josh Simmons finalized the win with a free throw with 3 seconds left.

The Rangers rallied from an early deficit in the first half to take a seemingly comfortable lead at the half. Ranger College connected on 52 percent of their shots in the opening 20 minutes – hitting 15 of their 29 attempts – and took a 44-37 lead into the start of the second half.

The Plainsmen roared back in the second half. Frank Phillips outscored RC by a 40-33 clip in the first 18:02 of the half and knotted the score at 77-77.

Clyburn was one of three RC players to reach double figures in the game. Freshman Johnathan Turner and Jordan Geist added 20 and 14, respectively. Carlton contributed nine.

Frank Phillips was led by Alize Johnson, who pumped in a game-high 25 points and 19 rebounds.